Grateful
by Rotom
Summary: After suffering an incident that leaves her with nothing, a young Vulpix decides that there is no point left in life. Just as she settles on this decision, she finds an unexpected friend that makes nothing but all the difference.


Before you throw bombs at me, I didn't skip Last Heartbeat to write this. I wrote this at school during my free time and I'd be darned if the computer knew to auto-correct the accent on Pokémon. See, it just did it. I'm amazed, really.

I'd also be darned if I didn't receive a Sky Forme Shaymin plushie for my birthday just after I was writing this. I think someone's been spying on me.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Vulpix, Kirlia, Shaymin, Arceus, or any of the other large ammount of species relating to Pokémon mentioned or seen in this FanFiction.**

...

The rain had just barely begun to calm down in the predawn hours of the warm July morning. Street lights were still flickering, debating on whether or not to come on completely or abandon the hope of lighting up the pathways. Behind the flower-dotted mountains of Floaroma Town a misty, orange sun could be seen fighting its way up. It seemed to be doing a better job than the artificial street lamps.

The streets were utterly bare, save for a few parked cars as well as the most popular attraction—flowers. They were standing arrogantly in the sunrise hours, still glistening with the faintest of morning dew. Puddles littered the streets from the harsh night's storm, but, as expected, the Pokémon did not care at all.

Altaria sung heartily in the streets, fluttering about happily in the warm-colored world. Below the trees were a groups of young, innocent Pokémon—Eevee, Glameow, Pichu—sharing amongst themselves an entire orchard of apples without a care in the world. Mimicking their style, Growlithe sat patiently at the door to a restaurant, knowing that the kind owners always tossed them a morning snack.

With the early-risen trainers, Pokémon were already playing, chasing after sticks and balls their owners tossed in play. Beyond those were the ones who pushed to excel, knocking down others in battles. But of course, few really felt that much of an urgency to get up. Some stayed indolently in bed, snoring until breakfast; Houndoom usually dozed at their masters' feet, eagerly awaiting until then.

In one section of the city, a small rural area no less, all was quiet except for one moving creature—a small red fox with six curly tails—who was running madly down the street. She was in the middle of the road, but no cars were out due to the early hours. There was nothing ahead of her, leading many to believe she had just had a nightmare and was still hallucinating.

The Vulpix finally stopped moving due to exhaustion, sitting down in the middle of the road with a forlorn look on her small furry face. She was about two feet tall, bright-eyed and young, but her eyes held the sorrow of a dying Cubone. Her fur was ragged, and she looked ready to cry.

"Please… please, come back…" she begged aloud to no one. Her eyes were closed, so she couldn't see anyone. "I just want you to come back…"

Many Pokémon had seen this particular Fire-type out and about, so she wasn't relatively new to the area. Her name in particular was Blaze, a name symbolizing her element. Her humans weren't really trainers; they were just the type that loved their Pokémon almost as though they were their own family. Blaze was owned by an elderly couple just up the street, which was the exact direction she had come from.

"Don't leave me…"

A nearby Kirlia, finally pushed to his limit, sensed the tornado of sadness and confusion bustling inside of her as she lay there in the road, crying pitifully. The Emotion Pokémon quickly made his way up to her, bending down curiously. "Blaze, what's wrong? What happened?"

Blaze, too upset to answer properly, settled for sobbing dramatically as a response.

"Come on, Blaze. I've never seen you act like this," he prodded, uneasy at being in the middle of a manmade road. They could get smashed by a vehicle at any moment. "Come on; let's get out of the way." After more urging, he finally managed to drag her across the road to the safer sanctuary of grass. He set her down, where she leapt up in tears.

"They _left _me!" she wailed tearfully, "They abandoned me and drove away!"

"Who?"

"My owners," she answered, this time attempting to calm down. "A few days ago, they locked the house with me outside of it… I knew it; this was all my fault!"

The Kirlia didn't feel comfortable upsetting her even more, but he had to know what was wrong. "What happened, exactly…?"

Blaze continued weeping as she managed to choke out the answer. It turns out that, after taking some time to translate her broken language, her female owner had apparently collapsed after having what seemed to be a heart attack. Because he could no longer care for his wife, the male had to be moved to a nursing facility that didn't allow Pokémon.

"It just happened so fast, I—" Blaze couldn't finish her sentence at all. "I tried to help, but the car went too fast and…" Then, forcing herself to stop crying and regaining her species' regal posture, she told the Kirlia dismissively, "I need to go for a walk… I need some time to be alone. I'm sorry."

The green-and-white Pokémon understood and nodded silently, stepping past so she could paw towards the direction of the meadow. But even so, it didn't make sense to him. One would assume that her loving owners would've at least left her in the care of someone else.

...

The Vulpix was still trotting glumly along, tails drooped and ears flat, with her eyes low to the ground. By the time she'd reached the flower-dotted meadows where she could finally be in solitude, night was meeting day. Seeing she was finally alone and sensing no presence of other Pokémon, she finally broke loose and cried tearfully. She just didn't understand at all. They had given away her accessories and toys to the Zigzagoon down the street. They had also removed the furniture from the house, and, not soon afterwards, her remaining owner's family had come to drive him to a better place.

A better place where Pokémon weren't allowed.

It wasn't _right._ For years and tales spanning many generations, Arcanine have sat loyally by the emperor's side. It was said that a saddened Altaria flew down to embrace a young child who had lost all sense of friendship. Lucario, being the cunning aura readers they were, were even able to sense and control the said substance to their will. A Blissey's never-ending supply of eggs were said to give a person inner hospitality and happiness forever. How is it that Pokémon were dangerous?

Happiness… Blaze wondered if she would ever be able to feel that pleasant emotion again. There was no way she knew where her owners went. She didn't want new ones. She was a lonely soul, longing for the warmth of a smile again.

As fate proved her wrong, it turned out that she wasn't the only one thinking about happiness.

A small furry body, about the size of a thick novel, slammed directly into her side, sending her sprawling and tumbling head-over-heels down the field and taking her invisible attacker along with her. Finally, when they had managed to stop and were no longer seeing the world spin around them, Blaze leapt up to glare in anger at her opponent, who was still belly-up on the flowery grass.

Blaze blinked once or twice before realizing what a horrible mistake it would've been had she blindly attacked it. The opposing Pokémon was a radiant white color, save for its green-tipped paws and tuft of green head fur between two large, spiky ears. A red flower, looking somewhat like a scarf, was sticking from its neck. Blaze couldn't believe her eyes—it was the legendary _Shaymin_!

"Ouch… Okay, that is _not_ the way to go," it mumbled, sounding more masculine than feminine despite being indeed genderless. He picked himself up, dazed. "What'd I hit?" he muttered questioningly.

Instead of feeling sorry for this injured dual-type, Blaze felt a fresh wave of anger wash over her. She had just been left behind by her owners. First that Kirlia, and now this guy? What was it with Pokémon bugging her in her misery? Much less trying to kill her with a dive bomb! She flared up at the Shaymin, prepared to pounce on him. Fire-types were, after all, super-effective against Grass-types.

The Shaymin was still somewhat dizzy. He swiped his ear once or twice before noticing Blaze. "Oh—err, I'm terribly sorry ma'am. I caught a draft in the wind and…" Blaze kept glaring at him, at least until he suddenly noticed the tear stains on her fur. "Oh, my Arceus! What... happened? Are you okay?"

"I just got run down by a flying idiot. Of _course_ I'm okay!" She felt bad for yelling at the smaller Pokémon, but hey. If there wasn't anything else left in the world for her, it wasn't like it mattered anymore. Suddenly she decided it wouldn't make a difference if she attacked this Pokémon, either. She tensed up, preparing to use a Flame Wheel.

Shaymin ignored her for the most part. "Did I harm you?" he inquired, tilting his head. Then, jumping up to float around her head in empathy, he added, "Are you hurt?" She bared her teeth at him. "Whoa—Okay, hey, I'm sorry. I really am. Is there anything I can do before I—"

"_Go_!" she barked impatiently, finishing off his sentence. The dual-type got the message and quickly flew out of her sight with a brief shriek.

Blaze watched him go with a snort of annoyance. Not two seconds later she turned around and found herself face-to-face with the crazed flying Pokémon again. She nearly ran into him this time, but she quickly made her distance.

"You look upset," Shaymin observed carefully, ignoring her assertive order to leave. "Are you sure I didn't hurt you? No broken claws or sprains?" He began flying around her head in repetition and, in general, just made a pest of himself. "Because if I did, then…"

She let out a frustrated sigh. "Why do you keep bugging me?"

"You look upset," he repeated. "Like someone stuck one of your tails in an electric outlet. Oh—even better! A Plusle electrocuted you!" Before she could question why a Plusle instead of a Pikachu or Luxio, Shaymin explained heartily, "I once read that Plusle drain electricity from telephone poles. So all that electricity has to zap someone!" he joked, and then, poking her with one of his lime-green tipped paws, "_Zzzzap_!"

Blaze gritted her white teeth in annoyance. This guy was acting like a complete child. He continued rambling on about Electric-type Pokémon until Blaze finally had the courage to interrupt. "Look, why are you even talking to me?"

"I'm trying to cheer you up!" he exclaimed happily, forcing Blaze to let out a heavy groan. "Anyways, Minun don't do it. I don't get why… Oh, Electivire! They're like plug-ins! And how about a Zapdos? Do they _ever_ stop flying? And those Jolteon—"

"_Enough_ with the electricity already," Blaze growled impatiently. "Just go away and leave me alone, okay?"

"No-can-do," the Shaymin practically sang the words. The next time he spoke, he babied her up. "So what's gotten into our cute ol' foxy today? Did someone hurt your paw? Want a kiss to make it better?"

The way he spoke made it sound as if he were trying to flirt with her, but Blaze could see that the young Shaymin was just very concerned. Finally she muttered, ignoring the prior questions, "Look… My owner left me behind, and it's gotten me down."

To her surprise, the Shaymin burst out laughing. It wasn't just a chuckle; it was a full-blown belly laugh that shook the earth.

"_That's_ what this about?! Ha!" The terrier-like Pokémon couldn't continue flying. He fell to the grass, kicking his stubby feet in an array of giggling. "You had me scared sick!"

Blaze felt the rage return. Forget the legendary status of this Pokémon; she shot a spiraling wave of fire at him. He easily dodged the Flamethrower attack.

"Whoa! Hey, watch it! What was that for?" he asked, no longer laughing. He actually seemed genuinely confused. It was as though he didn't realize just how offensive his dialogue had been. "You could've scorched me!"

"That's what I was_ aiming_ to do!" Blaze snarled, bristling her fur in anger.

Shaymin was hurt. "Why would you want to do that? That fire would kill me!" The next words he spoke made her want to break his furry neck. "Aren't you grateful that you missed?"

"No, I'm _not_! What's there to be 'grateful' about, anyway?" Blaze was just two seconds away from showing this brat everything she had. "My owners left me behind, I'm homeless, and I hardly know _anyone_ in this dumb town!"

"What's so bad about that?"

If possible, the universe would have exploded.

"I'm going to starve, freeze, and _die_ all alone! There's nothing to be grateful for, you Arceus-forsaken Shaymin! If I end up evolving into a Ninetales, I'll be suffering like this for the rest of eternity!"

Shaymin was still standing on that precarious invisible ridge, unaware of how close he was to getting murdered then and there. "I didn't say you should be grateful for that," the Gratitude Pokémon answered, "I just said that you should be grateful."

"For being left behind like a fool?!"

"No," Shaymin admitted, "Because you're still alive."

There was a brief silence before the Vulpix erupted again, leaping up to scream at the Shaymin. Before she could, however, the dual-type interrupted with wisdom that far surpassed his young mentality. "If you really think about it—you should be grateful that you're alive. Because in a funny sense, you're _meant _to be alive."

This actually calmed Blaze down from her fury, and she stopped in bewilderment. Trying to make sense of the Grass-type's words, she tilted her head in thought as he continued speaking. "If you really think about it, I'm sure there's a good reason that your trainers left you alone. Maybe one of them died or something. That's not something that can be helped; it just happens.

"Every living creature dies at some point, whether you're Pokémon or human. It's just a given fact of life, you know. And even if they _did_ leave you purposely, that doesn't mean the world will end. You might feel depressed and angry, sure, but that doesn't mean there's nothing left to live for. Think about life for just one second: when that heart of yours stops beating on its own, you die. You're supposed to be dead. But no matter what the world throws at ya, no matter what happens," Blaze was overwhelmed by the final sentence:

"As long as it keeps on beating through the things that happen in life, then you're meant to be alive."

There was a very long, hesitant pause. The Shaymin's annoying demeanor instantly disappeared and around it was newfound respect for the Gratitude Pokémon. Even though he had the childish grin and eyes of a two-year old, his words held the meaning of the galaxy.

She was meant to be… alive?

Even though she did, Blaze muttered quietly, "I… don't understand."

"Yeah!" Shaymin happily circled around her head like a Murkkrow stalking prey. "If Arceus thought about you enough to make you a living being, then why would you want to throw it all away? Seriously! If he thinks you shouldn't be alive, then he'd kill you right now. But since you're still speaking…"

"...I'm alive," she finished his sentence when he dropped it off encouragingly. Before, she would've wanted to smack that innocent smile off his face. Now Blaze was glad he stole it from a Gengar. She fell in love with that smile. "Then I'm meant to be alive."

"Yup! You got that right!" He continued babbling, "And if ya ever decide to evolve into a Ninetales, then you'll be meant to live for a really long time! Imagine all the things you'll see!"

She'd see all things… both good and bad. But as long as she lived through them…

Blaze couldn't stop the words from tumbling out. "Th-thank you."

Shaymin nodded happily, seemingly unnoticing all that he'd provoked in her emotions. "Mm-hmm! So are you grateful now?"

This time, Blaze was the one grinning like a fool. "Y-yes. I'm grateful… to be alive." The Gratitude Pokémon, Shaymin… She could see why. This time, Blaze honestly understood the Grass-type's words.

She wanted to continue talking to this kind child, but the white Pokémon instantly jerked his head the direction he'd been heading just before ramming into her. She watched as he lifted himself up again without moving any part of his body, almost as though he were a Psychic-type Pokémon. Finally he murmured, "Oh, I've got to go! I can't fly at night, and I want to get to the Gracidea Fields before then. I certainly don't want to walk there!"

As worried as the Shaymin's words were, he was still smiling and talking in his positive tone. Shaymin was thankful to be alive, and he was willing to be happy. He quickly turned his green gaze back to her. "I'll see you around, friend!"

"Bye, Shaymin… And… thank you…" The last words were a hoarse whisper, and Blaze had no idea if the mammalian Pokémon heard it as he flew up, higher than she could imagine, towards the sunset. If he did, he showed no reaction. Would she ever see that darling Shaymin again?

Blaze watched him go. And just as he disappeared into the sun she felt herself begin to cry. Not of sadness or anger, but this time of rekindled joy. She had been so pessimistic, willing to kill herself… Ready to attack the Pokémon that had made all the difference in her life with just a few seconds.

The Vulpix was so busy crying, collapsed on the flowery fields, that she was startled to hear some footsteps behind her. The noise was too loud to belong to a Pokémon, and instantly she felt a twinge of excitement. Had her owners come back? She turned around, prepared to leap in their arms, but was shocked to see an unfamiliar female human and froze in her tracks.

The person she saw looked as worried as Shaymin had been when he first saw Blaze. With a sad, shocked sound, she stooped down to Blaze. "Oh, Blaze. I heard about what happened to your trainers… I'm sorry." Blaze sniffed her curiously and became tense, should she need to attack, but she no longer felt senseless aggression. She could only listen quietly as the two-legged creature went on, "I know I can't offer much, but… Would you like to live with me? I'm sure your owners wouldn't want you to suffer all alone like this."

The first instinct was of denial, but Blaze ignored it this time. After seriously considering the deal she'd been offered, the Vulpix didn't answer. Instead, she slowly placed a brown-tipped paw to her chest in awe. The scarlet fur rumbled with life below it, and underneath her skin, she felt her own gentle heartbeat, ticking with time. The Shaymin's voice rang once again throughout her ears and in her mind.

_"As long as that heart keeps beating, you're meant to be alive."_

She looked up, and there was the blessed Pokémon yet again, whispering those exact words with a smile of hope.


End file.
